Permanent building helps College of Pharmacy receive extended accreditation

In a report to the Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, the national accreditation body has extended the accreditation of the only pharmacy school in the Pacific region, reversing an earlier noncompliance finding.

The American Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) has now found DKICP compliant with all of the 30 standards that it uses to evaluate colleges of pharmacy.

The main issue considered by the ACPE was compliance with the standard concerning physical facilities. In May this year, State House and Senate budget conferees agreed to fund a building to house the College on Hawaiʻi Island.

Chancellor Donald Straney: “I was secure in the knowledge that our community knew the value of the College of Pharmacy to the future, to the economy and to the general well-being of our State. I want to thank everyone involved for their continued support that led to the funding of a permanent building.”

In 2013, ACPE declared DKICP was out of compliance with the standard concerning physical facilities after which, without promise of a permanent building, could ultimately lead to probation. Founding Dean John Pezzuto said probation could have signaled the end of the College.

“If we had followed the path we were on just a year ago, I could be saying that we have been placed on probation, which would've been disastrous for the future of the College,” Pezzuto said. “It is heartening that our accreditation is once again secure, but we all must remain diligent and prepare for the next steps.”

The College now must complete a self-study due by September, to be followed by an on-site visit in October 2014. The results of the site visit and continuation of accreditation will be reviewed at the next ACPE Board meeting, to be held in January 2015.